


Lazurite

by Sirovaticus



Series: OLVN: Olivine [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Anti-Faunus Racism (RWBY), Family, Faunus Anti-Human Racism (RWBY), Light Angst, Multi, My First Fanfic, Rating May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-02
Updated: 2019-06-04
Packaged: 2019-10-20 20:54:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17629514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirovaticus/pseuds/Sirovaticus
Summary: Lazuryt Soroka is a boy who has seen much in his short time on the World of Remnant, and who inhabits a unique place in the social conflicts within it. Like many, he has come to Beacon Academy with the intention of becoming a huntsman, but when he encounters a familiar face, he and his new team will find themselves ensnared in a course of fate that will shape the rest of history.





	1. Prologue Part 1: Two Souls

The hot Menagerie sun beat down on the boardwalks of Kuo Kuana’s coastal stilt-house district. While the waterborne faunus relished in the perfect comfort of tropical waters, those above the surface only had the occasional seabreeze for a fleeting respite from the heat. While crowds of people with scales and antlers and extra ears wandered the walkways to visit the open cantinas and experienced fishmongers, one 15-year-old boy sat hanging his bare feet off the edge of a pier and reading in the shadow of his home. A glance did not betray the presence of any such trait.

 

Lazuryt Soroka was clothed in a white tank top and puffy sirwal pants in a bright blue hue matched by his eyes. A relaxed blue fez with a scarlet tassel rested atop his head of chestnut hair, which, at its medium length, was beginning to show its slightly wavy character. The heat of the sun rosied his normally pale skin. He was engrossed in the story before him: a tale of a man torn between the soul of his birth and another, which had appeared one day intending to make use of his body in a grand adventure the former wanted nothing to do with.

His concentration was broken when a small, vivacious girl with tan skin, flowing dirty blonde hair, olivine eyes and dark yellow fins on her wrists and ankles breached the water and launched onto the pier next to him. She managed to land perfectly on her feet, yet splashed him and his book heavily in the process.

 

She had barely landed when she began talking. “Hey Laz, guess what!”

He sighed as he held a shimmering hand to the book. “Dammit, Ochre! I was just getting to a cool part.”

“If you wanted ‘cool’ you should have come swimming. It’s much nicer than this air temp, and you’re one of the few land-dwellers that can keep up with me.” She replied.

As he hydrokinetically pulled the water from the pages, he recalled her greeting. “You had something to tell me, right.”

She looked confused for a second, before remembering what she had to say.  
“Oh, right! That ship dad was talking about is coming in at dusk! It looks loaded with new settlers!”

“More miners from Mantle like the last few?” He asked, now focusing on drying his clothes.  
“That’s the thing, they look more...well, important....and most of them are wearing Valish or Animese stuff.” She said. She had a special talent for sizing people up and knew more about the cultural idiosyncrasies around Remnant than most. “Word is there’s been a bit of a shake-up in local faunus politics, paired with a pogrom attempt in part of what’s supposed to be safe Mistral territory. Reprisal for some factory raid or something.”

 

Lazuryt’s heart sank. He knew that that wars had been fought and treaties signed to make it so not every faunus would eventually be forced to move here, to the end of the world, and that regardless of those wars and treaties, more still fled desperately time and time again until they pulled up to this shore…

And he knew that the more the humans in the kingdoms pushed the faunus out of the continents, the more lonely his middle ground became.

 

His adoptive sister sensed what he was thinking. “Laz, it’s okay. Everyone here knows you’re a great guy. You’re not at fault for anything that happens to us over there, and if they can’t see that, then it’s their loss, and more importantly, I’ll get my friends and beat them up.” she finished, pressing her right fist into her left palm.

“After Spinner, I know you aren’t joking.” He laughed, recalling the elementary school bully who had left him tied to a lamp post in spider silk for being a “lame traitless” and other such names, and how he mysteriously showed up one day with a black eye, an “I’ve been hit where it hurts” waddle, and far better behavior.

“Damn right I’m not!”

He chuckled lightly. “Thanks, Ochre,”

“Anyway, we’ll find out soon enough,” she responded.

“Huh?” he exclaimed disinterestedly, pulling a few grains of leftover sea salt out of his shirt collar.

“Dad wants us all ready to greet them when they pull in.”

“What!” Laz reeled in shock.

“Yeah. Apparently one of dad’s old friends is on board. That big guy from that picture in the office. Uhh...Gary or something.”

“Ghira? The old White Fang leader?” He asked, recalling one of their father’s stories.

“That’s the one!” Ochre replied happily.

“Well, at least that’s a good sign.” With that, Lazuryt stood up and headed for the house.

 _Gonna need some nicer, less salty clothes if we’re meeting guests at the docks,_ he thought. _Might as well finish the book if I have time._

 

\- - -

 

Lazuryt was reading the epilogue of his book in his room when he heard the familiar thud on the roof, followed by the clack of footsteps on the stairs. Before long, a winged man with graying hair and a matching manicured beard, dark violet eyes, and a Menagerie Guards uniform appeared in the door frame. To the world, he was Sgt. Gavril Soroka, the flying detective. To Laz, he had become “Dad” years ago.

“Hey, Laz! Ready to go?”

“Hey, Dad. I guess so,” Laz replied.

“I’ll go get your sister from her room, I’ll meet you outside.”

“And mom?”

“She’s back, and already down there.”

Laz smiled with excitement. _Yes! It’s been ages! I hope she stays long enough for a couple training sessions...and to relax a bit. A whole month in the outback! They’d be jerks to send her out too quick again._

Their father had kept them in practice, especially with strengthening Ochre’s hand-to-hand work, but Laz always enjoyed mace lessons with the huntress who had plucked him from the sea.

 

\- - -

 

The ship pulled into port under a low sun and tangerine sky. There were few awaiting the disembarking passengers, but two familiar hooded figures stood nearby, staring at the ship.

“Ah, look, the brother priests grace us with their serene presence.” Ochre snickered quietly in Laz’s ear, with no small dose of sarcasm.

However, the fish girl’s snide remark wasn’t whispered quietly enough for someone with giant ears, and a woman’s voice spoke behind them

“You know sweetheart, you really shouldn’t be mocking the priesthood, even if the Albains are rumored to dabble in more...politicized theological stances.”

“MOM!” Laz and Ochre exclaimed in unison.

They rushed to embrace the muscular, blonde, brown-eyed, and copper-skinned woman, who was careful to move her elephant ears so they wouldn’t be pinched between her children and her shoulders.

The woman laughed joyfully. “It’s good to see you again, darlings.”

 

Just then, the ramp fell for the ship to disembark. Within a moment, faunus were sauntering down the ramp in small groups. Soon enough, a large man in a purple suit began his descent, His wave showed the small ends of retractable claws on his fingers. He was flanked by a graceful, tanned woman with large, pierced cat ears. 

Following shortly behind them and sporting a smaller, unadorned set of cat ears was a girl. She had raven hair and amber eyes, just like her parents. She clutched a closed book and looked totally disinterested in the situation, yet she had an air about her that immediately caught Laz’s attention. She was clearly about his age, and her shining eyes and impressive form displayed what was, in Laz’s view, a self-evident yet unflaunted beauty. The book caught his attention. Reading and music were his favorite pastimes, and this girl already shared one with him.

 

He had just one fear.

_Will she care that I’m a human?_

 

“Gavril!” The man on the ramp called out with a smile

“Ghira!” The winged guardsman replied.

The men met and energetically embraced, sharing a hearty laugh.

The magpie was the first to speak.

“Long time no see, old friend.”

“Who are you calling old? It’s you whose hair has gone gray!” The panther replied with a chuckle.

“Ghira, I’d like you to meet my family. This is my wife, Nesha, and my children, Lazuryt and Ochre.”

“Ah, yes. I’ve heard good things from your letters.” Ghira said, turning to his 3 other greeters.  
“A pleasure to finally meet you, Madam.” He said with a respectful bow to Nesha.

“The pleasure is mine, Mr. Belladonna” she replied, smiling and returning the bow.

“And the children. Ah, your siblinghood represents the hopes of generations. It is great to finally see it for myself.”

“Thank you, sir,” Lazaryt replied.

_So far so good!_ he thought. 

Ghira went on. “ You know, I have a daughter about your ages.” He turned and called, “Blake, come and meet our new friends.”

She had already settled on a crate, reading her book. She put it down again with a light sigh.

“Okay dad.” She breathed, without much enthusiasm. She walked up the pair of her new peers.

“Hey. I’m Blake.” She monotonously pronounced.

“Nice to meet you, Blake, I’m Ochre!” The fish girl said with a bubbliness that she hoped would warm the conversation.

Then it was Laz’s turn to speak.

“H...hi, Blake. I’m Lazuryt...well, my friends call me Laz...but you know, i..if you don’t want to call me that...we can still be friends that way too.

“Hmm, okay,” Blake replied without a sign of interest.

Laz has another idea

“Say, what book are you reading?” He asks.  
The shift in her demeanor was slight, yet immediate and unquestionable. A sign of life quietly ignited at someone taking interest in her book. She began to answer “Well..it’s about a girl in the snow, struggling to pick up the pieces of her mother’s death and keep her spirit alive even as her innocence wilts away.”

“Well, that’s...charming?” Ochre interjected.

Laz was about to express interest in the book when they noticed that an intense young man with red hair and horns had disembarked and was heading for them. He had a dreadful scar across his left eye, and the letters “S.D.C.” made it the clear work of a Schnee Packaging stamp. The eye beneath it was deadened and dark, but moved in unison with the other eye, an intense blue to match Lazuryt’s own. Laz did not get a view of this face for long, as the man soon moved a mask to his face.

“Adam!” The cat-eared girl lit up entirely now.

“Hey there, kitten!” He greeted her affectionately, before turning to stare blank-faced at the siblings. “Who are our new acquaintances?” He asked Blake.

“Kids of one of my dad’s friends,” she replied, not bothering to use names.

The horned man’s gaze turned to Laz. Even through the mask, it didn’t take long for Laz to recognize the familiar process. Adam was scanning his fingers for claw pockets and his face for hints of scales. Finding none, his expression soured.

 _Ah, shit, here it comes._ Laz thought to himself.

He felt worse still when he realized Blake, far from paying attention to the situation, was smiling dreamily at Adam from his side while playing with her hair.

Adam let out a slight huff, before turning away and walking towards a tiger-eared woman who was conversing with the canine clergymen in the market. Blake followed him closely, but turned and called out to the siblings.

“Nice meeting you.”

“Nice to meet you too,” Laz quietly responded.  
She was already too far to hear him.


	2. Prologue Part 2: The Dream

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The sound of clashing steel can invoke many memories for Lazuryt, but a new memory will form by the sound of clashing words instead.

That night, muffled sounds began to stir around him. The clashing of steel.The faint screams through wooden walls. The telltale and guttural impact of a knife piercing a sternum. Then the flash, the falling.

Then nothing

Lazuryt awoke with a start and a gasp. Upon inspection, however, his room was peaceful.

 

"Hmph. It’s been a while," he mused, trying to focus on the paltry bright side.

 

He reached for his canteen, only to find it empty.

"Welp, I wasn’t getting more sleep anyway." 

With that, he stretched and emerged from his bed. He took up the canteen and glanced at the clock

3:45 am

He trudged toward the kitchen with a yawn. He emerged to find his dad sitting with a glass of water.

“Hey, son.” The elder spoke. He sensed the boy’s demeanor. 

“Your ghosts come around again?”

“Yeah.” the teenager said with a sigh. 

He noticed the old photo in his father’s hand

“Yours too, huh.”

“Hmph. Yep.” He cynically chuckled in co-miseration before glancing back to the torn photo. A younger version of himself stood with a similar looking, more broad-shouldered man with a gray set of wings at his left, bearing a sword, while on his right stood a slight, green haired girl with scarlet wings and a medkit nestled under her arm. The long-past sorrows echoed through his soul.

“I know I’ve said it before, but...I’m sorry son, it’s a hell of a thing, especially at your age.”

Laz nodded in silent agreement, before stepping out to the balcony, using his semblance to pull a pint of cool, pure water molecules out of the great soup of brine and gather them in the steel bottle. 

Taking a swig of the freshly purified seawater, he then proceeded to sit at the old piano 

“Want some help not waking the house, son?”

“Thanks, dad. I would” He said. They both knew the routine, but he still appreciated the understanding

The father enveloped their half of the living room with a shimmering field, while his other hand cast a similar field out over the water. 

And so not a sound was heard in the house as the boy began to play what he always played when he thought about that night. It began with a tentative aeolian jump, before a somber, meandering melody descended from the peak. The notes were known only to him, his winged adopter, and the occasional stray seagull over the middle of the bay. Finally, one sweet chord, the one faint glimmer of hope and love at the end of the musical phrase, rolled off the keys at a whimpering pianissimo. In days gone by, it was here that the tears would start to form

But time had passed, and he had a family that loved him again. He knew the glimmer was real…

And so he smiled.

 

[Two weeks later]

 

Sounds of clashing steel again.

This time they were real, and linked to happier memories.

Recovering from the parry with a spin, Nesha reached Obstacle Breaker to sweep at his left leg, but her son dodged with a spin of his own, launching a quick jab to her stomach with the handle end of Coldharbour before moving out of range again. 

He then slid a red, disk-shaped magazine over the handle and pressed it into Coldharbour’s head. With a point of the mace and the press of a lever, flaming high-caliber projectiles blasted towards the woman in a slow but automatic staccato. 

Nesha wasted no time in beginning her charge, managing to evade or block the blasts of fiery dust and metal. She signaled a strong, over-the head strike with a jump at her son and pupil. One which he quickly moved to block. At the last second she shifted her grip to pull upwards as she pressed the switch on her weapon’s handle, switching from a mace head to an axe, and hooking Laz’s weapon from his grip. She spun again, stopping her strike an inch from the boy’s neck, now guarded only by the fleeting remainder of his blue aura.

She checked her scroll.

“5 minutes, 46 seconds. Your skills are improving.” She said, slightly impressed. “Still, there is farther to go if you want to take after me.”

Laz nodded, sighing at his defeat, but smiling at the praise.

Nesha’s scroll began to ring. She saw it was her husband calling, and answered it.

“Hey sweetie.”

“Hey hon. The Belladonna’s called. They’re wondering if we want to go out to dinner tonight.”

“That sounds lovely. Just us, or the kids too?”

“Everybody.”

“Alright. Tell them we’ll come.”

“Alright. Love you.”

“Love you too. Bye”

With that, she hung up, and turned back to Lazuryt.

She beckoned and headed for the door “Come on, let’s get home. We need showers and some nicer clothes.”

“What’s happening?”

“We’re meeting the Belladonnas for dinner.”

Following behind his mother, Laz nervously blushed.

[That evening]

Ochre got up from the submerged, waterproof bed that left her body resting in two inches of water. She stepped up to the dry upper level of her room and dried herself off. She proceeded to dress herself in a formal olivine dress and form her hair into an odango style. Deciding her combat boots didn’t match the situation, she awkwardly put on a set of black stilettos, grumbling as she took a few steps

“Stupid lady stilts!” she hissed

A knock came from her door at the top of the stairs

“Oaks, it’s almost time to go. Mom wants to know if you’re ready.” It was Laz’s voice, instead of her father’s like usual.

“On my way up now!” She called out as she carefully climbed the steps in these particularly annoying shoes.

She swung open the door to find Laz holding a bottle of fresh water for her. He was dressed in a light blue collared shirt, black slacks, and a blue and red striped tie. The loose, unstiffened blue fez was still on his head as it almost always was. 

“How do I look?” he asked nervously.

“Since when do you even care?” she said with a snorty laugh.

“Look, just between you and me, and I know it’s a long shot…

...I’m kinda into the Belladonna girl.”

“Aww! That’s so cuuuuute! My little bro’s first big crush!”

“Shut up! I’m only a month younger, and I want this under wraps.”

“Haha. You can count on me, baby brother.” She stressed again to tease him. She thought another second, before sadly realizing…

“Wait, she was giving eyes to that bull guy at the docks, wasn’t she.”

“The dickish one that looked at me with ‘human filth,’ written so far over his face that you could see it through a mask? Yeah. I fucking noticed.” He said, indignation rising in his voice. “I’m hoping it’s not mutual and she’ll forget about it, and that she doesn’t think the same way he does about me.”

“Did it sound unrequited to you?”

“I don’t know, but it should be! I mean, the guy’s probably, like, 20.” 

“Heh. You’ve got it bad, Laz.”

He sighed. “I know.”

With that, they went outside, where there parents had been waiting.

\---

The meal went by quickly enough. Eventually the Belladonnas and the Sorokas exited from the restaurant. While the parents talked, Laz took the chance to approach Blake.

“Blake?”

“Yes?” She eyed him suspiciously.

“Hey, sooo...I finished this book the other day. It’s kinda like the book you were reading when you came in. Thought you might like it.”

“What’s it about?” She asked, mirroring his question from that day.

“A man with two souls...Trust me, it’s more gripping than I make it sound.”

After a second, she reached out and gripped the book. “I don’t doubt it. Thanks.”

“Before you go, w...would you like to get some shave ice tomorrow afternoon? I know a good place, and it’s a good way to beat the heat.”

“I...I don’t think I can make it then. Sorry.” 

“Well, alright then.” He said, smiling through the disappointment.“Maybe some other time then?”

“Yeah.” She said.

\---

A few days later, Laz was walking up towards the door of the Belladonna home, hoping to find out if Blake was interested in hanging out. Before he could knock, however, he overheard shouting from in the house. 

“You can’t be strong so you step down as leader, you cave to the humans and move to this rock, and now you’re leaving The Fang completely!?”

“Yes! I am! Can’t you see that Sienna’s only going to lead us into more conflict!?”

“I don’t care! I’m tired of us being pushed around! Maybe this is what we need!”

A third voice, Kali’s this time “Sweetheart, you don’t mean that.”

“God! Such fucking cowards! Both of you!”

Ghira again. “Watch your language, young lady!”

“Or what!? You’ll ground me!? You won’t do anything I care about, because you are a FUCKING coward!” She stressed again.

She let out an exasperated scream before storming into the small room at the front of the house and slamming the door.

Suddenly a new voice came from this room, one he wasn’t expecting to be there.

Adam.

“Well, that sounded rough. I’m sorry they reacted like that” 

“I can’t believe them.”

“Whatever. We can take our revolution to the human kingdoms without them.”

“Adam. Are we sure about this? Going this hard against the humans? What about the good ones?”

“When has trusting humans worked out well for us? For you?”

“Well, there’s Laz.”

Adam snickered. “What? The traitless that the old magpie had in tow?”

“Yeah. He’s been kinda nice to me. He even gave me a book.”

“Give him time, he’ll start getting all entitled. It’s what they do. Besides…” he said. It sounded like he took a few steps.

“...even a peasant knows to bring gifts to a queen.” 

“Oh, stop it.” she said in a much more playful tone than the one Laz was hoping for.

The suction of a kiss. Laz turned away and left.

He was despondent as he trudged home. His worst fears had been confirmed. For now, Blake and Adam were together, and she was even willing to go along with all the stupid retributionist bullshit Laz knew well. Traitless, though what traits could he inherit? Outlander, though where else had he come of age? Oppressor, though who had he oppressed?

Human, though what else could he be?

\---

Ochre heard the door open. Looking at the clock, she knew who it was and what he’d been up to.

“Hey brother, so how did it…”

She turned and saw his face.

“Oh.”

Blake would disappear with Adam soon after. 

Two years later, their paths would cross again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once again to anyone out there reading.
> 
> The description of the piano piece that Laz plays is inspired by the Andante movement of Shostakovich's Piano Concerto no. 2. 
> 
> Also, gold star to anyone who can figure out what the inspiration for Gavril and the others in the photo is.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The journey begins. Laz and his sister arrive at Beacon Academy, meeting faces new and familiar.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's right, folks! Back without popular demand after almost 4 months, team OLVN's journey at Beacon begins today! Thank you all so much for tuning in.

“Flying fucking sucks, you know that?” Ochre said, looking as green as her eyes. Her hair had been cut down to a shorter style in the years that had passed. She dressed casually for the day in a black sleeveless shirt, jeans, and a Green and Yellow checkered flannel.

“Ochre, you’ve been saying that since we got to the bullhead station,” Laz replied. His attire had hardly changed, other than that his base shirt had changed to gray, and scaled leather pauldrons had been added to his shoulders. He had bulked up in the last two years, building muscle over his once thin frame.

“Because it’s true!.” Ochre shot back, grabbing the rail to calm the sense of the floor moving. “I don’t get how dad does this manually.”

A giant, dark young man in golden and black robes approached. A large weapon, difficult to identify, was on his back. 

“Hey, you need some Dramamine? I’ve got extra.”

“Who are you?” Lazuryt asked, suspicious of the random guy offering his sister pills.

“Vorkneh Menelik, nice to meet you.” The giant replied. He then turned back to Ochre. “It’s ok. You know, motion sickness is a much more common problem than most people realize.” 

“That’s what _I_ said!”

“And I didn't disagree, I just got sick of your whining. Now introduce yourself back, he’s just standing there.”

“OH, uh, right! I’m Ochre Soroka, and this is my brother, Laz, who apparently decided it’s opposite day and thinks _he_ should help _me_ with social cues.” 

“Hey, don’t get mad ‘cause I’m right.” Laz shot back. 

“Heh, pot and kettle, much, little brother?”

“...I’m going back to my book,” Laz replied, picking up an old book about an island of buried treasure.

“Too late, man,” Vorkneh interjected while pointing out the window. “We’re basically already here.”

“Heh, guess I was talking so much I didn’t get sick.”

As the levitating ferry finished its approach to the landing at beacon cliff. The students gathered around the ramp-door, an excited yet apprehensive buzz of murmurs built fervor as the bullhead evened out and slowed its rotation, only to be silenced by the industrial hiss of the door’s hydraulics.

_This is it,_ Laz reminded himself as a ray of sunshine crept in from above. _This is the start of a whole new life_. A life requiring the abandonment of fear and vulnerability he so yearned to enact.

A huntsman’s life.

\---

The school was an incredibly impressive structure, even by kingdom standards. To a couple of Menagerie boardwalk kids, it was incomprehensible...

 

Which was a big problem, considering they had no idea where the orientation in 30 minutes was taking place. 

“Think there might be some kind of some sort of recognizable landmark?” Ochre asked her brother. “Like a food court? Or a directory at least?”   
“No Idea,” answered her brother. “Let’s look for someth-,”

A muffled boom echoed down the gardens, reaching their ears.

“Well,” Vorkneh chimed in, “something’s that way. Let’s check it out.”

The trio slowly walked towards the source of the disturbance, wondering if it was training, a negligent discharge, a fight, or some sort of welcome pyrotechnics.

Then, Laz stopped dead in his tracks.

About 50 yards from a crater, and walking their general direction…

Was _her!_

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for tuning in to the first major bit of personally-initiated creative writing I've done in a decade. I am planning to make this work run for a while. Eventually, if this goes well, other members of team OLVN (Olivine) may even get their own works.
> 
>  
> 
> The second half of the prologue should be out within the week. Midterms may slow the writing of what comes after that.


End file.
